Do You Have A Favorite Poet?

As we continue to discuss writing of all kinds in this forum, I was wondering something. Do you have a favorite poet who you love to read, and why do you love reading this poet? I edit an online poetry journal/blog, and lots of poets submit their work to me, so this inspired my question here.

January 25, 2018, 4:22 am

Responses (56)

My favorite poet is Maya Angelou and in my opinion she was the best poet. I have read many of her poetry books. I love reading her quotes as they are very inspiring. I have also watched some documentaries about her on YouTube. I suggest you read her poetry books. I am sure you will appreciate them.

I do not have a favorite poet, but there are some poems I do like and that I find entertaining or poignant. I guesss if I was going to pick one, it would be Ogden Nash. I love his quick and dirty writing style. I must admit I don't know a great deal about poetry though.

I actually do not have a favourite poet. I can't even remember the last time I read a poem without being actually required to. The last time I read a poem (which we had to) was in school when we had to learn about different poems which we then had to analyse for our exams. It was awful because I just hate poems. Am I the only person here that just does not find poems interesting in any way?

I have not read too many poetry in English. The names I can remember are from the yesteryears, for instance, Wordsworth, Keats, Yeats, Shakespear, Frost etc. However, I read a lot of poetry in Nepali, my primary language. I have numerous favorite poets from my home country. By the way I am a poet myself, I have published poems in Nepali as well as English. My anthology of poems and flash fictions is available on Amazon. It is titled People's War in Nepal: Songs and Narratives From the Frontline.

I don't have any specific favorite poet. I do however like the Rumi for his haiku's. Also the hemmingway was good to read. And that is something to consider there. You can see that there are too many poets and too much to read. And so it's not easy to have a favorite.

I have read so many poetry works since high school and I have enjoyed alot of them.The major names are Maya brown,Calista Tellen, Bryan Eddie but the one I loved most is Sir Thomas Wyatt poems collection, one of it which is "Fawell love" .I love this poem because it all about love which I love, he describe love and strongly believe is not for the faint-hearted and that love is mainly for the younger generation.

My favorite poet is Shel Silverstein. His collections of poetry are considered as children’s literature but they really hold up; and, reading them as an adult I often find that they include mature messages I had missed when repthem as a child. I love reading his poems to my nieces, and they love him, too!

i remember growing up reading WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS and THE GIVING TREE. I think I still have these books lying around somewhere from my childhood or somewhere in storage. It's funny though--i remember as a kid how I thought Silverstein was really funny and light-hearted. However, I looked at his work a few years ago, and for some reason, some of it seemed really dark and disturbing to me. It could just be me, but I think it is really cool how people we read change for us over the years as we go back and re-read them. That;s a fascinating phenomena if you ask me.

My son used to read Shel Silverstein when he was young. Up above I mentioned Ogden Nash. I bet that Silverstein was influenced by Nash. Although the cool thing about his work is the graphics involved in his poems.

I don't know why I haven't build the interest of reading poems since I was young, I just don't understand poems and don't really find the joy to read the poems, though I always like to read novels, short stories and essays. I remember I attended a literature/writing camp, and there was a section for writing poems, and I really did not enjoy that.

But as a homeschooling family, I guess I will just have to learn more about poems and also learn how to enjoy them, so I can teach my kids to read and write poems. Though it's not my interest, perhaps I will find out the gems of poems once I learn more about it, and also it's better for my kids too.

William Shakespeare happens to be my favorite poets of all time. His romantic and love poems are incomparable to other poets songs. There is this particular poem of his about comparing his lover's beauty to that of a Summer's Day. I think the tittle of the poem was "Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day". The poem gave serious hyperbolic praises to his lover compared to that soothing nature of a summer season.

I also love Shakespeare's sonnets--he wrote a ton of them, and they are all in such perfect form and meter. I tell my students, when we study him, that a sonnet is a "machine made of words". It usually hs 14 lines, ten syllables per line, which equals 140 syllables in the poem. it also has a set rhyme scheme. in other words, if you change one word or syllable in the poem, you change the whole machine and meaning of the poem because it is so tightly wound!

Yes, who can argue with the bard being one of the greatest of all time? Although, I am not sure that people think of him when they think of poets. I think they are more likely to think of those who wrote traditional poetry.

Mine as well, I think he is my favorite sine my grade school days, like Sir William Shakespeare would always be mentioned at our school and mostly by teachers. And also, I like how he can manage to work with many kinds of feels or themes, like love, anger, death, magic, mystery and etc. And lastly, he's the most influential person in terms of poetry and on the English language as well, like if you would ask people who would they love to recommend, William Shakespeare's name would always be mentioned, no matter what.

I also enjoyed Shakespeare when we read his work in high school and university but he wasn't my favorite choice just for some leisure reading of poems at home. He's quite hard to truly understand. His poems have many deep meanings and the words he uses are very tricky. It takes a lot of analyzing to understand half of what he's saying.

I have a ton of poets that I enjoy reading. There are a lot of genres where they spread so there is a different one for each genre. Poets like Lovecraft for example are insanely talented and it's a pleasure admiring not only their works, but also their minds and have how they have come up with such ideas.

I love lot of poet's that dig deep into the soul of their readers with their words, there are just few of them who were able to do so, with credibility and creativity that I know of. I came in contact with a poetry written by Sappho in the island of Lesbos, this gave me a deep sense of how a woman like her though restricted by the laws of her land was still able to write and touch the heart of many, she is definitely my first she made me venture into the isles of poetry. There are some greek poets that I came across their works, I can't recall their names because of so many thoughts, they are really good you can Google it up to check them out. Then there is Marcel Proust this dude is crazyly awesome, I enjoyed all his poetries, I think he still holds the record of the longest poetry ryhmes/lines.

I guess it would have to be W. B. Yeats. I just love all of his work. His background is also fascinating since he was so active in the development of Ireland which reflects on his poems. He knows how to paint a picture with words and he's extremely good at creating double meanings.

well, being of Irish descent, i definitely inherited a love for Mr. Yeats. The first poem i ever read by him was "The Second Coming", and the words in this poem can strike fear into anyone with its dire prophesy and declaration of possible and probable impending doom for humanity. I have read a lot about his life, as well, and about his fascination with the occult and mysticism, and his involvement in the Golden Dawn, and he is most definitely a fascinating character, much less a phenomenal poet beyond reproach. Thanks for reminding me of him, again--I am going to have to dig out my collected Yeats now as well and give it another read...

You have just touched upon one of my favorite poets of all time! i have her collected works, and it is hundreds and hundreds of pages and would break your foot if you dropped it on it. She tackled almost every topic out there, and I am never not amazed at her inventive-ness and originality with language. If i had as much talent as she had just in her little finger, then I would already be famous. I love that poem, "Because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me", etc. She is one of my favorite poets of the American Romantic era, without a doubt.

As long as poet is concerned, it is all about connecting minds and souls together with the use of words and when that is said, my mind always goes to Williams Shakespeare in the sense that he remains the best I would think of and other contemporary poets even try to copy his style which is amazing. The thing is that I still read his notes for they contain wise words that will see us through the rigors of life.

I don't really like poetry. However I have many favorite poets ironically! This is because I listen to the poetry because the words they speak are profound and so relevant to our times. I like Rumi. His poetry is amazing and romantic. My favorite line from his poems is 'you're looking for a necklace that's around your neck' and 'what you lose comes round in another form. I also like British Poet Warsan Shire especially her poem 'for women who are hard to love'

I absolutely adore the work of Rumi. For those unaware - and that is a good amount of people out there - Rumi was a 13th century Persian Sunni Muslim poet. He was incredibly elegant and romantic in his writing, and wrote in a way that I could only describe as "ultra-human." I first learned about him from a Buddhist teacher who would constantly quote his poems, simply because of the fact that Rumi's style of writing and description always felt as if it reached the true essence of any given moment.

I also love Rumi very much. i am not Muslim, but I really love the ghazal tradition of poetry. The couplets of love that these poets write is so moving and gorgeous. These poems will break your heart. It is so wonderful how you acknowledge that great poetry can extend itself beyond traditions, Muslim or Buddhist--or both--and find its way to the reader to deliver its amazing human truths which we all can learn from and appreciate.

I think that is one of the most beautiful aspects about any art form. Whether it is writing, painting, sculpture, or architecture, creativity and human expressionism can build and cross bridges between societies and cultures in a way that nothing else can.

Take music for example. There are so many artists who may sing in languages that I don't even understand, and yet on some deeper level the emotions can touch the right part of you even without understanding the words.

I have read Rumi and I really like Rumi. Rumi poems try to connect human soul with God. In a surface glance, it looks like Rumi is talking about love between the two individuals, however, in a deep reading, we will find that he is trying to connect the human with the almighty.

I do have one favorite poet and his poems are really good, most of them are love poems that really touch the heart. This poet is from my country and he died more than one hundred years ago, his name is Mihai Eminescu and you maybe heard about him because he was the best and well-known poet from my country!

I appreciate poems since they're a taste of soul despite of being brief and short. My favorite poem is "If" by Rudyard Kipling. I guess he's my fave poet, too. I'm not really into romantic poems but more of motivational ones. Because I tried to read romantic poems before but it just don't work for me. Makes me cringe. LOL

I don't have a favorite poet. I've mostly read book such as novels. So I'm not well-versed in poetry. But I do like some poems. Robert Frost would have to be my closest to a favorite poet. I like that his poems are deep and somewhat dark. They tell of the realities of life in a very surreal way.

I could suggest a poet to you, but he is somewhat abrasive and not everyone's taste. The poet I want to suggest got me started in my own writing, and a friend of mine, when I was a freshman in college, turned me on to him, and I was never the same again. Have you ever heard of Charles Bukowski? Take a look at his book, LOVE IS A DOG FROM HELL. It is minimalist and painfully straightforward. He wrote over 70 books in his time, and I really respect his honesty and integrity in his writing. Just a suggestion here.

My favorite poet is Pablo Neruda. I'm not Chilean, but his poems are posted on the trains of my country and I would always read them while going to school. They are very deep and are mostly about love and despair.

"Laugh at the night,
at the day, at the moon,
laugh at the twisted
streets of the island,
laugh at this clumsy
boy who loves you,
but when I open
my eyes and close them,
when my steps go,
when my steps return,
deny me bread, air
light, spring,
but never your laughter
for I would die."
-Pablo Neruda

I love Neruda! Have you ever read any of his books of odes, by the way? I've seen him write odes to just about anything--avocados, socks, women of course, etc. He can write incredibly complex and formal poems and then turn around and write the most eloquent free verse ever. He also lived quite an interesting life, if you know anything about that. It must be a great honor, as a poet, to have your poems on display in a country for the public to see.

Yeah! That man is incredibly talented with words. I didn't really bother to know his personal life but now that I'm reading it, he has had so many experiences worth sharing but I wouldn't want to live like that lol

treecko142,
I once had a poetry professor of mine tell me that, if I ever wanted to continue liking a poet and his work, that I should never meet him or her in person, lol. The lives artists, of any kind, live can be perilous and passionate. I guess this a part of the human condition of the creative mind, so to speak, but it IS a hard life and not a "cookie-cutter" life that the majority of humans live across this world economy. Still, I think that a lot of these poets can't help but to live the way they do, despite the hardships, because they have no choice but to express their passion with writing to the fullest extent.

My favorite is Edgar Allan Poe. He is an American and a very popular poet. It is known that he is an alcoholic and that he write’s good poems when he drinks alcohol. Well it is said that most of his poems were actually written when he was drunk and most people including me ofcourse find his writings very impressive.

I also love Poe's work along with some of the other American Romantics from that era of literature. He was a troubled soul, but if you look at the hardships and heartbreaks of his life, it definitely makes sense why he was the way he was. I like the poem "Annabel Lee" a lot. However, when it comes to Poe, i must admit that actually I like his prose and his short stories much better. He practically invented the horror genre with them, and, because of that, his reach has been far and wide and centuries long. He also inspired the French Symbolists with his work, and they are also some of my favorite poets.

My favorite poet is Edgar Allan Poe. He is an American poet and his works are well known all around the world. It was said that Edgar Allan Poe was an alcoholic and most of his popular poems were written we he was drunk. Really interesting.

Many famous Poet have carved their names in the annal of history And today, many poets rising to their prominence have emerged in our society. Out of all thsoe figures, My favorite poet would be William Shakespeare and I really love his sonnets which is mostly theme with love and passage of time.

I don't actually have a favorite poet, I am not really into poetry, I am more of a novel person, altough I've read some poems that really inspired me, but I can't remember the poet because I read them all online, I subscribed to a book page on Facebook and they post different poems, and parts of novels.

I like Edgar Allan Poe. His twisted dark tales were planted as abridged seedlings in my young mind. He's my fave author & poet! Like his short stories, I find him interesting. He’s exploring how and why humans can be cruel. And he does it from the tormented and deranged perspective of the narrator so that we see things as he does.

Poe was highly intelligent and well educated, allowing him to use a variety of peoples, places, times, and emotions to draw from in his stories. Most folks only recognize him as a horror writer, which he certainly was, but he was much, much more than that.

I think Poe was mentioned a few times in this forum, and there is definitely a reason for that! He carved out an incredible legacy, and, if you ask me, he pretty much invented the genre of American horror! His Gothic and dark Romantic poetry also left its mark on American literature, and as an English teacher, I can attest to the fact that we still teach him even today.

I don't have a favorite poet but I really love reading Edgar Allan Poe's works. I'm actually not fond of reading but every time I feel the interest to read I always try to read his poems because they're good. One of his poems that I've read and liked so far is A Dream Within A Dream. It was actually our choral reading piece for the English Festival during my third year in college and I found it really interesting and a little bit hard to understand (and that's why I like it).

My favorite poet is Lao Tzu, because he is using enigmatic phrase on his poem and all having a purpose and applicable to anything. Tao Te Ching is the most popular one and became the philosophical basis of Taoism. Tao Te Ching is not only a basis in religions but in most martial arts principles, business strategy and most important in the way we live our daily lives. The meaning of Tao Te Ching is " The Book of the Way and its Virtue ". You can check out the quotes and poems I am sure most intelligent people can relate to it.

Honestly, I only like today's poet because I like how they deliver their piece in an interesting way which is also trending to the millennials today and my favorite part on it is how they relate their poetry piece to today's existing events. Plus, I like entertaining poetry and I don't have favorite poet yet because most of them aren't that popular now.

Sylvia Plath is a favorite of mine - even though she was a troubled soul she just had a way with words and conveying emotion that to me was like no one else. You really feel like you can understand what she was feeling at points in her life, just by reading her poetry, and I think that's pretty moving.

I love Sir Thomas Moore's works. My favorite is his piece " 'twas the last rose of summer" or "the last rose of summer". It was very heartfelt as it was about friendship. Later in his life he became friends with a certain emperor. But in the end, that emperor was influenced by his evil advisers that lead to him ordering to execute his beloved friend. The last verse was so appropriate.